Two Man Forecheck

Episode 0096: Geoff Ward, Seattle Expansion, The All-Star Game, Bettman and the Next Commissioner, Andrew Hammond, Twitter Poll and Much More!!

Now in December and the season continues to come into focus…we’re kidding…it’s still as muddled as it was a month ago.  The Forecheckers continue to attempt to make heads and tails about what is going on this season, with not much luck, but we press on.

We start out with a discussion regarding Geoff Ward.  The assistant coach for the Calgary Flames has been successful running the power play units for both his current team and his prior one, the New Jersey Devils.  We were wondering when he would be behind the bench in a head coaching capacity.  We talk about potential landing spots and Chris even mentions another Bruins coaching alum, Doug Houda who we also believed at some point would be a head coach.  With the Red Wings, Houda has their penalty killers 3^rdin the NHL, his specialty. 

Seattle has finally been approved and Mike still insists on calling it number 32.  We discuss team names and General Manager possibilities along with other things Seattle.  By the way, the Seattle 32 is a better name than Seattle Totems.

We started the next topic last week, but it has been steeping all this time and we finally opened it up. The All-Star Ballot, players that are included and voting are all up for grabs.  Who makes the ballot, why aren’t all players included?  We go over every aspect.  Let us know how you feel about the All-Star Game and voting.  Give us your feedback.

The Twitter Poll related to this topic, and 57% said that the All-Star game wasn’t important to you at all, so that by itself may be the statement.

The Two Man Forecheck not only discusses current events, but we are also forward looking and thinking! In that vein, we discuss the next Commissioner of the NHL.  Bettman has been in the role for 25 years, we take a look at who’s next…and when that might be along with some issues that person may face.

Finally, we briefly take a look at Ty Anderson’s (98.5 The Sports Hub) piece regarding where the Bruins are at. It’s a good read especially for Bruins fans…here’s the link…

https://985thesportshub.com/2018/12/07/anderson-what-are-bruins-even-doing-here/

Let us know how you feel and how we are doing.  The 100^thshow fast approaches so if you have any ideas on how to celebrate send us those suggestions as well, but most importantly…Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0095: Nylander Signs, Sabres Surge, Nifty's Number, Philly In Flux, The Next Kablooie, Paille's Assailant Charged, No. 32 Coming, Bowen Byram, Love for Krejci and More!!

It’s December 2^ndand the William Nylander Opus is over!  He has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 6 years, 41.77 million dollars. The shock here…only that it took so long to get where they could have been at the beginning of the season. Mike believes that there is or was something else going on behind the scenes (an injury, perhaps) and Chris tends to agree.

Buffalo is the surprise story of the NHL thus far, and there appears no slowing down for the surging Sabres.

The Boston Bruins retired Rick “Nifty” Middleton’s number 16 this past week.  It was a nice ceremony, not at all over the top.  Master of Ceremonies Andy Brickley was eloquent and a delight to listen to for the service.  Rick Middleton was a fan favorite and showed off moves that even now are crowd stunners.

The Twitter Poll last week focused on the rookies and whether anyone could possibly catch Elias Petterson.  The winner, with 56 percent, was no one or someone other than the players listed. At this point in time we tend to agree with the 56.

We discuss the possible career ending hit on Daniel Paille by Thomas Larkin.  The hit took place two years ago and Paille has not played since. The Swedish prosecutor, Joakim Johansson, has charged Larkin with assault for the blindside hit which may have ended Paille’s career.

The Flyers are still in flux after having fired their GM, Ron Hextall.  There has been no replacement hired, and president Paul Holmgren has stated that he will leave the fate of the head coach up to the next GM. The issue here is that the team needs a complete overhaul and we discuss the moves that need to be made.

Are the Forecheckers in the prognostication business?  No, but there are plenty of teams that need extensive work, the worst of the bunch being the St. Louis Blues.  Give a listen and share your opinions as Mike and Chris talk about the possibilities of moving most of the roster to other teams.

Seattle is looking like a lock to be, as Mike puts it, number 32.  They have sold 30,000 season ticket deposits and have passed all the hurdles up to now.  On Tuesday, they face the final hurdle, a vote to approve the city as the next NHL franchise.

Bowen Byram’s dad, Shawn, played 5 games in the NHL.  It is a record that he would be happy to see Bowen break someday.  Bowen is eligible for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.  We will keep an eye on Bowen and report on his progress at a future time.  Good Luck Bowen!

Finally, Mike may be having a change of heart regarding David Krejci.  He still states that the B’s should have traded him after the Stanley Cup win, but Mike has also stated that this may be his most impressive season to date.  We discuss why as we wrap another episode of the Two Man Forecheck.  As always…give us a listen, share your opinions with us and enjoy the show!

Episode 0094: Coaching Carousel, Torts vs. Boucher, Phaneuf 1000, Philly Explosion, Roussel Bites and NHL Cannibalism, Laine and Atkinson, Oates to L.A. Add One and More!

We at Two Man Forecheck hope that everyone had a warm, fun-filled Thanksgiving this past Thursday! We are thankful that all of you give us the opportunity to entertain you, even if just for a little while.  That said, here is another week of mirth and mayhem to enjoy. 

Something else, a stocking stuffer of sorts, to enjoy is the discussion we have regarding Tortorella vs. Boucher if both coaches were to face off in the playoffs! Its hidden somewhere in the show.

Opening we actually wax positive regarding the officials at last night’s Bruins game.  We didn’t say that officiating is better, just that they managed to make a correct call by getting together and discussing the issue before making the wrong one.

The Forecheck Twitter Poll for last week was prescient in that one of the coaches on the list was terminated, but it was incorrect in that we didn’t add Todd McLellan.

We have decided that Philly needs to blow up their team and trade off the pieces.  Their goaltending woes have continued since Hextall left the net.

Antoine Roussel has been fined for biting.  This isn’t the first time we have seen the cannibalistic side of the NHL and we discuss prior offenses and even gift props to the one player that admitted he did it.

The November that Patrik Laine is having was capped off Saturday night when he scored 5 goals on 5 shots. The conversation that follows may lead to some disagreement among friends as Chris posits the theory that Cam Atkinson is having a better month with seven straight games with a goal scored. What do you think?

We converse about Adam Oates inclusion by the L.A. Kings.  He will be going as a consultant to hopefully improve the offense and increase scoring.

We close out the show with one of our favorite segments…ADD ONE is back!!

All this and so much more to discover.  Let us know what you think and enjoy the show!

Episode 0093: Pens' Tailspin, Habs Surprising Rise, Julien's Biggest Fan, Schmidt's Return, Marchand Gun-shy?, Topsy Turvy Standings, Injury Epidemic, Twitter Poll and More!

Hello all and welcome to Thanksgiving week around the NHL.  We at the Two Man Forecheck would like to wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.

The open for this week’s show brings another discussion of the topsy-turvy standings in the National Hockey League.  At this point who would have said that the Penguins were basement in the East?  Who would have guessed that the Kings were basement in the NHL?  Or who among you would have put the Golden Knights, the NHL Stanley Cup runners up at second to last in the league?

This opens up the discussion to injuries around the league and how some teams are decimated by injuries, the Bruins, Canucks and Stars to name but a few.  At this point we focus on one team…

The Pittsburgh Penguins are typically a perennial playoff team.  This season they are hurting in the standings and, at first look, don’t have an obvious reason as to why.  The team itself has not been completely done in by injury, and back up netminder Casey DeSmith has shown that he has the chops to play in the league.  The defense may still be the Achilles heel of this team and we delve into possible deals that they could make to better the current squad. Would you tweak the current team or trash it and start anew?

The Golden Knights are seeing the return of their number one defenseman, Nate Schmidt.  Back from suspension, he should give Vegas a needed boost, and possibly help out some of the current blueliners, most notably Shea Theodore.

The Oilers and Rangers have made a trade that at first glance doesn’t appear to be a win for either team.  Ryan Strome will be heading to New York while Ryan Spooner will be heading north to Edmonton. Both players are close in age and statistics, so this deal may just be a new start for both men.  There were other deals, Tanner Pearson to the Pens for Carl Hagelin (to L.A.).  Again, this looks to be a new start for both.

The Canadiens are sitting in the second wild card spot and Claude Julien’s biggest fan should be Marc Bergevin. The play of the team has taken some of the focus off the GM and placed it where it should be…the surprising success of the team.

Brad Marchand appears to be shooting less this season and the stats bear this out.  He is currently one shot less per game and appears to be rushing his shots when he does take them.  We believe that he could possibly be gun shy due to the physical pounding he takes and the lack of calls he receives from the officials when pounded. Here we branch off momentarily to talk about the officials, but we digress…

Finally, we talk about last week’s twitter poll results.  Which teams would climb into a top 3 position in their division by New Year’s?   Vegas and Colorado have 11% of the votes, Pittsburgh has 33% and finally, Buffalo has 45% of the votes.  So far Buffalo is there.

Everyone enjoy the holiday and of course…enjoy the show!

Episode 0092: Jones and the Sharks, Goalie Equipment, NHL Standings, Head Coach Firings, Julien and Sturm, Lehner a Steal, Thornton 1500, Krejci, Twitter Poll and More!

Its Veterans’ Day! Thank you to all those who have served in the various branches of military and Coast Guard who protect our borders and shores!  It is because of you that we can do what we do.

At the open, we talk about players around the NHL that are either over or under-performing.  Some are obvious, but there are some that would be a surprise.  Players such as Sidney Crosby, who is having a decent season, is 40^thin scoring this season.  For him, that would certainly be considered under-performance.  On the other side, someone such as Patrice Bergeron, who is number one in scoring at this point, would be seriously over-performing.  He has the talent to be ranked where he is, but it certainly isn’t something he has done before.

Mike starts us off on the subject of goaltending.  Martin Jones of San Jose has come out talking about the changes to the padding that is worn by those in the position.  He stated that there are some goalies that have more bruising than in years past, but it isn’t why his numbers have taken a dip.

We also get into a discussion of the San Jose Sharks and why they appear to be struggling.  They are still second in their division, and still in a playoff spot, but it is obvious that the off-season changes, among other things, have the Sharks off their game.

Delve deeper we say at the Forecheck, and we do just that with an in-depth look at the standings. Upside down and inside out are two apt descriptions of the NHL standings at this point in the season.  Teams that are normally playoff contenders are currently on the outside looking in, such as the Capitals and Penguins.  Teams that were expected to struggle mightily are in, such as the Canucks.  What is to make of all this…even we don’t have the answer.

The league has seen its first two head coach firings in L.A. and Chicago.  Stevens may not have been a surprise, but Quenneville is a bit of a shock. The positive in all this…Marco Sturm is now an assistant coach in the NHL.  He has shown that he has the chops as a head coach on the international scene and he will now be on the inside, hopefully with a chance to be a head coach in the NHL.

There are a few steals this season, but the steal of the year may just be Robin Lehner of the Islanders. We have said this before, but he is proving us right as he shows what he can do with a respectable defense in front of him.

The Two Man Forecheck want to congratulate a future hall of famer, Joe Thornton, on playing in his 1500^thregular season game.  He has played through some injury plagued seasons and continues to shine when on the ice.  His passing is second to none, and his induction to the hall is almost certain.

Ottawa players have apologized for comments made during a recent Uber ride.  They were unknowingly recorded, and their comments were made available to the press.  If anyone has never complained about their boss, please let us know. Everyone vents, these guys were just doing the same thing.  Let it go.

Finally, David Krejci is getting a moratorium on Mike complaining about his play.  This season he is a point per game player and he has been consistent.

Don’t forget our new Twitter poll question and above all…enjoy the show!

Episode 0091: NHL Officiating Woes, Bruins Scoring Woes, Cassidy's Brewing Controversy, Rinne's Birthday Present, Kassian Wants Out, NHL/MGM Deal, Our Twitter Poll and More!

Halloween has come and gone. The NHL has given us both the tricks and the treats this season.  One of those treats has been watching Jaroslav Halak in net for the Bruins.  Another has been recording the Two Man Forecheck. So, without further ado, here is yet another episode for your listening pleasure.

We start with last week’s Twitter Poll.  It was the second highest vote total to date.  With 46 percent of the votes, Edmonton wins the poll.  How does everyone feel about this outcome?

Mike tackles the issue of officiating in the NHL.  After last night’s Bruins game, a 1-0 shut out by the Nashville Predators, there were some officiating issues that cropped up during the game.  A call that was truly sold by Colton Sissons and a missed call against David Pastrnak.  The solution: less officials for non-division games and a constant review/evaluation for those officials that are struggling according to Mike.  Any thoughts?

Is Bruce Cassidy to blame for the goaltending controversy brewing in Boston?  He has admitted that they start the season with a plan for how the team utilizes the netminders.  It would appear as though the brass may have some input here as well, with the amount of money they are spending on Tuukka Rask.  The problem, and it is a good one, is that the backup is playing well enough to keep Tuukka on the bench for the foreseeable future.  Halak has the best save percentage of any ‘tender in the NHL with 5 or more starts.  This could get more convoluted before it straightens out.

The Bruins have other pressing issues, namely the inability of lines 2 through 4 putting the puck in the net.  Again, Mike has an opinion here.  The issue is one word…Transition.  The Bruins need some kind of shake up, whether internal or via trade.  Is there an issue here?  How can the Bruins solve it?  Let us know.

We at the Two Man Forecheck wish Pekka Rinne a happy birthday, but not the way the Predators front office did when they offered him a 2-year extension worth 10 million dollars. Our guess is that the only one attending the party that wasn’t happy was Juuse Saros, the heir apparent in net for Nashville.

Zac Kassian wants out of Edmonton, and the brass has told him that he is more than welcome to find a suitor for the Oilers to trade with.  Honestly, the Oilers have bigger fish to fry than whether Kassian is happy with his current team or finds himself another home.

Finally, the NHL and MGM have signed a deal of undisclosed value to sell data to the casino giant to use in setting betting lines for NHL games.  Gambling in states, however, is still a state by state issue so there will be more to come before this takes off.

Let us know what you think and as always…enjoy the show!

Episode 0090: Matthews On The Shelf, Canadiens improved, Gallagher vs. Marchand, Torts Speaks His Mind, Panarin to Boston, Scoring Up, Twitter Polls and More!

It’s almost Halloween and there are some scary things happening in the NHL.  Auston Matthews is injured thanks to a hit from Jacob Trouba. Jonathan Quick is day to day again and it may be cause for concern in the Los Angeles front office.  The Bruins are playing without 3 of their top 6 defensemen and the Two Man Forecheck missed a week for the first time since its inception.

We start out with two Twitter Poll results and introduce the new poll:  Which Canadian team will make the playoffs.  For the results, Pastrnak was voted the quickest to 20 goals, and there wasn’t much to discuss regarding which division would have the same top 3 teams.

The Forecheckers wax poetic about the surprising play of the Montreal Canadiens.  Claude seems to have them playing somewhat inspired hockey. It could be the trade of their captain, or the absence of their best defenseman, but they have pulled together, and Price appears to be heading back to what is expected of him.

This conversation led us into a compare and contrast between Brendan Gallagher and Brad Marchand. Similar in size and playing style, how entertaining would it be to have both of these guys on the same line? Tell us what you think.

We at the Two Man Forecheck love John Tortorella.  A story appeared on CBSSports.com about John and his opinion on the niceties of the NHL. He is “sickened” by the lack of “hate” in the NHL.  Now we don’t believe he actually wants people to hate each other, but while on the ice there isn’t enough dislike for the opponent.  Opposing players smiling and laughing during games seems to upset Torts. We talked about this and the lack of rivals for more time than expected.

Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe tweeted out that if the Bruins wanted Panarin, the trade would have to start with McAvoy and DeBrusk.  Mike seems to think that this would be enough, along with an extension for Panarin, to get him to don the Black and Gold.  Chris isn’t so sure, believing that there would have to be a pick or prospect or both.  What do you believe?  Do you even want the “bread man” in Boston?

Finally, we talk goaltending around the league and goal scoring.  The latter appears to be going up, and the goalie stats seem to bear that out. Starters such as Rask don’t appear to be playing as well as their backups.  The numbers for Halak indicate that he should (and could) be starting in Boston, but he isn’t considered the number one at this time.  Could this be an issue where the coach is hurting his team by not making a choice.

Lots of opportunities to share your opinions with us.  Send us that feedback and enjoy the show!

Episode 0089: Expansion and Failed NHL Franchises, The Injury Blotter, Taylor Hall and the Hart, the Bruins Schedule, Twitter Polls and Halak vs. Rask...oh yeah...and More!

Here we are…Auston Matthews has taken the NHL by storm and all teams are in full swing.  Or are they?  The open questions how odd the schedule is that some teams have played 6 games while others have played 3.

William Nylander is still unsigned.  What are the Maple Leafs to do?  That was the last Twitter Poll and the results bear out that the Leafs should trade him for a defenseman.  Agreed we say, but it should have been done at the draft.  The Leafs are surviving without him and the longer it goes on, the less likely Nylander will be playing in Toronto.

Can Taylor Hall repeat as Hart Trophy winner?  His teammates believe so.  We at the Forecheck think that he is capable (in the top 5), but at this early juncture, there is a player in Toronto who may be taking that hardware home.

We break out the injury blotter and discuss how important some of these losses could be to their respective teams.  The likes of Quick, Luongo, Andersen and Price are just a smattering of players around the league who are listed as day to day or worse.

The Boston Bruins have been playing well since their opening night showing.  But how do we know how good they are?  Their schedule shows us that we won’t really know how good they are until mid-November.  They are currently playing teams that they should be beating and by the time they play in the Winter Classic, they should be in first place or contending for it.

We talk expansion, but not in the way that others might expect.  We want to know why people in general always want to start a new franchise where there has already been a failed one.  Places like Hartford, Atlanta, Kansas City and Quebec always come up in discussions.  Why can’t we talk about places such as Austin or Houston Texas or somewhere in Louisiana? Places where the local area could sustain a franchise.  What do you think?  Where would you like to see a franchise?

Our current Twitter Poll asks:  Who will be the first to 20 goals?  Choices: Auston Matthews, David Pastrnak or someone else in the NHL.  Log on to twitter and give us your choice!

Finally, as with last week, Chris rants about the goaltending situation in Boston.  With each passing week the choice gets harder to make and just maybe it isn’t as easy as Cassidy might believe.  Halak has better numbers and has played more minutes than Tuukka the starter.  Look up the numbers and let me know how you feel.  And finally…enjoy the show!!

Episode 0088: Nylander Still Not Signed, Simmonds Is Healthy Again, B's Netminder Situation, Toews Off To Smashing Start, Are Habs For Real, Twitter Polls And Much More!

Here we go!  The new season has begun and there are absolutely no ways of telling who is going to be the next Stanley Cup Champion…but we are going to try and figure it out here at the Two Man Forecheck.

We open the show talking about patterns present and non-existent in the stats and the haves and have nots and where they are in the standings.

This leads us into Toronto, where William Nylander still has not signed and reportedly is asking for 8.5 million dollars.  Should they sign him…trade him?  Let us know in this week’s Twitter Poll.  We also delve into the Maple Leafs team and its potential contract woes over the next couple seasons.

Wayne Simmonds is back and healthy this season, and his on-ice performance is backing that up. He is a free agent at the end of the season and would look good in a couple different uniforms…we attempt to figure out where they might be.

Speaking of Twitter Polls, last week’s question was about which team would have the hottest 10 game start.  41% posited Winnipeg, but as the number show so far, there is no hot team as of yet. But we are only two games into the season.

The Bruins have a problem some teams would envy…two starting netminders.  Tuukka is listed as the number one, and Cassidy has stated that he is 90% sure that he will start on Monday’s home opener, but with his history of slow starting, and the fact that Jaroslav Halak is coming off a shutout in Buffalo, should this be a question of who starts?  Halak has equivalent numbers to Rask over their careers and right now should Cassidy be riding the hot hand.  We say yes, but what do you think?  Let us know.

Jonathan Toews had himself a hat trick on Saturday night, and looks like a man on a mission in Chicago. With other stars on the team playing like stars, are the Blackhawks heading back to the playoffs?  Is Toews a rejuvenated man?  He appears to be so things are looking up for Chicago.

Are the Canadiens for real? They have a healthy Carey Price and some young, talented players who are champing at the bit to succeed.  The Habs thoroughly whipped the Penguins in Pittsburgh by capitalizing on the Pens mistakes as well as using their speed and quickness to outskate the former champions.

Finally, there are too many injuries to mention, but Crawford and Weber are due back late November to mid-December and Schneider is due back relatively soon after off season surgery. 

All this means that our favorite sport is back and going full speed ahead.  See you next week!  Enjoy the show!

Episode 0087: Theodore Signs, Twitter Poll Results, Goaltender Pad Rules, Top 4 Metro And Pacific Teams, Mike's Predictions, Bruins Moves And So Much More!

The NHL Season is less than 48 hours away.  We at the Forecheck are celebrating vividly with another rendition of the Two Man Forecheck.

Shea Theodore has come back to the fold, signing a 7 year, 36.4-million-dollar contract with Vegas.  Is he really happy with this deal or did he just want to play hockey?  Either way, the Golden Knights are thrilled he is back.

The Twitter Polls are out and completed.  Last week we asked which rookie would have the best second season.  With 63% of the vote, Kyle Conner was the winner, but are the results too one-sided? Should the percentages have been closer?  Second place Will Butcher would agree with that.

The latest poll asks which of the last 4 teams standing last year will get out to the hottest start?  The poll indicates that Winnipeg and Tampa Bay will, but the week isn’t over yet.

The discussion on goaltender pads took us in directions we had not anticipated.  Goal scoring, pugilism, the number of officials on the ice and many other factors entered the discussion before it was over.  We’d love some opinions on this topic.

The Forecheckers make their selections for top 4 in the Metropolitan and Pacific divisions, and as usual, Mike has to throw a monkey wrench into the works and kick up some dust with one of his picks.  Let us know what you think.

Finally, we talk about the Bruins and their final moves as well as some other prospects and young players that fill out the roster.

A full slate to be sure, let us know what you think and keep voting on those polls.

Enjoy the show!